Parliamentary speeches

Age discrimination

October 18, 2018

I'm pleased that in this place this week we are talking about preventing discrimination. I hope that we continue to talk about preventing discrimination wherever we find it and have a real conversation about all the costs of exclusion in our society and our economy—those which connect to individuals and those which hurt and diminish all of us.

MPI: Discrimination against LGBTI students and teachers

October 16, 2018

I want to set out my values and views, as the minister has seemed reluctant to do and the Prime Minister has refused to do. I believe that everyone should feel proud to be who they are, especially so at school.

Principal for a Day - Plenty Parklands PS

October 15, 2018

Last week I had the great privilege of being principal for a day at Plenty Parklands Primary School in my electorate of Scullin. I'm very pleased to report that the school remains standing after my brief period of stewardship.

October 15, 2018

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, I present the committee's second advisory report incorporating dissenting reports on the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill and I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report.

Policy and politics

October 15, 2018

For me, the scariest sentence uttered by a politician in recent times wasn't said by Donald Trump, nor by Senator Hanson. It was British MP Michael Gove who said, when campaigning for the Brexit referendum...

Cuts to education: matter of public importance

September 20, 2018

What we've seen from the minister here was a defence of his deal that's about as passionate as it could have been. It was utterly lacking in feeling. That's what's so wrong with this government's approach to school funding. This minister and this government are trying to fix the wrong problem.